Last Fall, Alabama A&M University introduced the first phase of its Bachelor of Arts degree program in Cultural Studies, aimed at providing ambitious students the chutzpah required to meet the growing international demands for private and public sectors.

At this time, the program is offering up to (10) tuition scholarships.There are also opportunities for internship. Within the program, student are learning about Middle Eastern literature, languages (currently Farsi), geography, politics, ethnicity and identity formation, women’s studies, Fundamentalism, Islamic mysticism or Sufism, and much more.

Program coordinators at AAMU say the Middle Eastern concentration offers the students the excellent opportunity to have careers at the U.S. State Department, Defense-related agencies and those businesses requiring in-depth knowledge about the contemporary Middle East.

“As we exist, work and play in a global world,” comments Dr. Mahmoud, “it is important to explore the different customs, history, traditions and languages of cultures and communities outside of one’s own.”The new AAMU program, says Dr. Mahmoud, aptly targets “the vividness and richness of the region of the Middle East by merging literature, film, language, history, religion, politics, society and culture in one program.”

But as the cultural studies program develops in future semesters, it is expected to expand to include concentrations in African American culture and literature, as well as Latin American culture and literature, says Dr. Jonaid Sharif, chair of AAMU’s Department of English and Foreign Languages.

“This program continues to offer students flexibility, considerable choice, and a unique opportunity to complete their requirements efficiently,” adds Dr. Sharif. “The cultural studies program is not only about academics, but it will provide internships, film viewings, open houses and even immersion in the respective communities of a particular concentration.”

The further development of the Middle East component at AAMU also will benefit from its collaboration with the Middle East Studies Program at the University of South Alabama.AAMU’s cultural studies degree requires 50 credits of general education courses, 24 credits of cultural studies major course work, 27 credit hours of concentration courses, and 24 credit hours of electives.